Comparative Visualization Using Cross-Mesh Field Evaluations and Derived Quantities

We present a data-level comparative visualization system that utilizes two key pieces of technology: (1) cross-mesh field evaluation - algorithms to evaluate a field from one mesh onto another - and (2) a highly flexible system for creating new derived quantities. In contrast to previous comparative visualization efforts, which focused on "A-B" comparisons, our system is able to compare many related simulations in a single analysis. Types of possible novel comparisons include comparisons of ensembles of data generated through parameter studies, or comparisons of time-varying data. All portions of the system have been parallelized and our results are applicable to petascale data sets.